# Introduction

# Welcome

Now that your account is set up, you're ready to build your first scheduler. PickATime offers four scheduling types — choose the one that fits your use case, or reach out and we'll help you decide.

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#### **🗓 Parent-Teacher Appointments (PTA)** *Best for schools with 20+ teachers*

Parents log in and see only the teachers their child has a class with — no scrolling through irrelevant names. This is our full-featured conference scheduling product for larger schools.

📹 [Watch the PTA Demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz69tFgVsXY) | 📖 [PTA Setup Guide](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/parent-teacher-conferences-pta)

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#### **🗓 Parent-Teacher Appointments — Simple PTA** *Best for schools with 20 or fewer teachers*

A streamlined version where parents choose from a list of all teachers at the school. Teacher-student relationships don't need to be pre-configured, making setup fast and simple.

📹 [Watch the Simple PTA Demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-p3t7CC06o) | 📖 [Simple PTA Setup Guide](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/parent-teacher-conferences-simple-pta)

💬 *Not sure which PTA product is right for your school? Email us at <support@pickatime.com> and we'll help.*

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#### **📅 Event Scheduling** *Best for one-time or multi-day appointment events*

Let participants choose a location, pick a time, and book their slot — all online. Works for events that span a single day or stretch across several weeks.

Common uses: Flu shot sign-ups · Health &amp; wellness screenings · Admission interviews · School tours · Training events

📹 [Watch the Event Demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-oTz7Vfup0) | 📖 [Event Scheduling Setup Guide](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/scheduling-normal-events)

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#### **📋 Roster Scheduling** *Best for program sign-ups without a specific time slot*

Participants register for a program or event rather than booking a particular time. Ideal for recurring programs and ongoing enrollments.

Common uses: Summer camp registration · After-school program sign-ups · Permission slips

📹 [Watch the Roster Demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIAYeCa3Y9Y) | 📖 [Roster Scheduling Setup Guide](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/scheduling-roster-events)

# Getting Started

<span class="rvts14">To get started with Pickatime, you will first need an account with us. To create an account, select the </span>[Sign Up](https://pickatime.com/home/signup)<span class="rvts14"> option from our website. </span>

<span class="rvts14">Once you have an account, you will have access to our Admin tool, where you can begin to set up your event. </span>

<span class="rvts14">Follow the steps in the User Guide for the scheduling type you wish to set up:</span>

[Parent Teacher Appointments Conference Scheduling](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/parent-teacher-conferences-pta)<span class="rvts14"> </span>

[Blackbaud Parent Teacher Appointments Conference Scheduling](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/parent-teacher-conferences-pta-blackbaud)

[Simple Parent Teacher Appointments Conference Scheduling](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/parent-teacher-conferences-simple-pta)

[Event Scheduling](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/scheduling-normal-events)

[Roster Scheduling](https://help.pickatime.com/shelves/scheduling-roster-events)

# Product Updates

## **<span class="rvts0"><span class="rvts25">May 2026 Updates</span></span>**

### **Blackbaud Updates**

#### **Admission Event Importer**

- Added a new **Parent Type** selector to the Blackbaud **Admission Event** importer, allowing Admin to select either the Parent of Incoming or Parent of Candidate or both.

#### **Contacts Setup Improvements**

- An addition to **Global Setup /Contacts/Advanced Options/Setup Parents Category** has been made by replacing the standard text input fields with a multi-select dropdown for event categories.
- This update applies to:
    
    
    - **CategoryID for Prospective Parents**
    - **CategoryID for Current Parents**

### **Importer Updates**

#### **Slot Import Enhancements**

- Added the ability to define both **Slot Type** and **Appointment Type** directly within the Slots Import file.

[![image.png](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/IwEimage.png)](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/IwEimage.png)

#### **Resource and Class Removal Updates**

<span class="rvts20">Additional updates were made to the option allowing Admins to delete existing resources, classes, and enrollments directly from the Import page before uploading new data, making it easier to remove bad data without leaving the Importer page. Changes include:</span>

The sentence, **Remove existing classes** has been renamed to **Remove all resources and their classes.**

An issue where the **Remove all resources and their classes** option did not fully remove resources from all scheduling areas has been corrected.

Resources are now correctly removed from:

- - **Appointments Tab &gt; Teachers**
    - **ClassEditor Tab &gt; Teachers**

<span class="rvts20">To locate this feature on the Imports page, click the Class file option within the File Type drop-down menu.</span>

[![image.png](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/UZSimage.png)](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/UZSimage.png)

### **Reporting Updates**

#### **New Email Actions**

Added a new **Send Email to Parents** button to the following reports:

- **Students without any scheduled parent-teacher appointments**
- **Students without any scheduled parent-teacher appointments by class**

[![image.png](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/7l5image.png)](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/7l5image.png)

Added a new **Send Email to Students** button to:

- **Students’ Schedule**

[![image.png](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/OTQimage.png)](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/OTQimage.png)

#### **Report Name Updates**

Renamed the following reports for improved clarity:

<table id="bkmrk-previous-name-update"><thead><tr><th>**Previous Name**</th><th>**Updated Name**</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Students whose parents have not booked ANY appointments</td><td>Students without any scheduled parent-teacher appointments</td></tr><tr><td>Students whose parents have not booked appointments PER CLASS</td><td>Students without any scheduled parent-teacher appointments by class</td></tr></tbody></table>

### **Email Report Improvements**

#### **Button Label Updates**

- Renamed the orange **Send email** button to **Email Report**

#### **Button Placement Improvements**

- The gray **Email Report** button has been moved next to the Parent/Teacher dropdown to align with the orange **Email Report** button for a more consistent layout.

#### **Email Processing Improvements**

- The **Email Report to Teacher/Parent/Student** actions now display a processing message indicating:
    
    
    - - Emails are currently being sent
        - A summary notification will be delivered once processing is complete

---

####  

## **<span class="rvts0"><span class="rvts25">March 2026 Updates</span></span>**

### **<span class="rvts0"><span class="rvts24">Log-In &amp; Registration Updates</span></span>**

1. <span class="rvts20">The </span><span class="rvts21">“**Do not allow self-registration**”</span><span class="rvts20"> option is now automatically disabled when </span><span class="rvts21">“**Show the scheduler to users before they log in**”</span><span class="rvts20"> is enabled.</span>  
    <span class="rvts20">→ This allows participants to create an account seamlessly when they’re ready to book.</span>
2. <span class="rvts20">New feature: </span>**<span class="rvts21">Sign up with Google</span>**  
    <span class="rvts20">→ Participants can now register using Google when:</span>
    - <span class="rvts20">“**Show scheduler before login**” is enabled</span>
    - <span class="rvts20">“**Allow login with external provider**” is enabled</span>
3. <span class="rvts20">When participants are creating a new account, a second </span><span class="rvts23">Password (Confirm)" field has been added to the Sign Up form.</span>

<span class="rvts20">Location for Log-Ins and Registrations: Global Setup/ Business/ Registration and Login Settings </span>

### **<span class="rvts0"><span class="rvts24">Google Updates</span></span>**

1. <span class="rvts20">**Google Workspace** integration will now display </span><span class="rvts21">“Enabled” only when syncing is error-free</span>
2. <span class="rvts20">Automatic email notifications are now </span><span class="rvts21">disabled</span><span class="rvts20"> when participants create or update **Google Calendar** events</span>  
    <span class="rvts20">→ Helps reduce unnecessary email volume</span>

### **<span class="rvts0"><span class="rvts24">Reporting Updates</span></span>**

1. <span class="rvts20">**Event Reports** now display </span><span class="rvts21">all teacher team members</span><span class="rvts20"> in the Teachers column</span>
2. <span class="rvts20">A new field, </span><span class="rvts21">“**Last Logged In**,”</span><span class="rvts20"> has been added within the **List of Administrators** report. </span><span class="rvts20">  
    </span>

<span class="rvts20">Location: Reports/ Account Reports/ List of Administrators (click the green “Additional Fields” button)</span>

### **<span class="rvts0"><span class="rvts24">Events &amp; Scheduling Updates</span></span>**

#### **<span class="rvts21">Class Import Improvements</span>**

<span class="rvts20">You can now delete existing resources, classes, and enrollments directly from the Import page before uploading new data, making it easier to remove bad data without leaving the Importer page.</span>

<span class="rvts20">To locate this feature on the Imports page, click the Class file option within the File Type drop-down menu.</span>

#### **<span class="rvts21">Featured Events</span>**

<span class="rvts20">pickAtime has added a new option that allows the account Admin to choose to display all events at once or list the "featured" event first, with a search bar for the </span><span class="rvts23">others. This feature can be activated or deactivated on the Event Settings page, accessible from the Events Preview in the upper-right corner.</span>

#### **<span class="rvts21">Table View Customization</span>**

<span class="rvts20">Admins can now set the default view:</span>

- - - - - <span class="rvts21">Expanded</span><span class="rvts20"> (fixed time steps – classic view, may require </span><span class="rvts21">more </span><span class="rvts20">scrolling)</span>
                - <span class="rvts21">Condensed </span><span class="rvts20">(shows variable time steps - may require </span><span class="rvts21">less </span><span class="rvts20">scrolling )</span>
            - <span class="rvts20">Users can toggle views directly within the scheduler</span>

An update has been made to the Date Field in both the [Appointment and Contact Field Setup](https://help.pickatime.com/books/additional-event-features/page/contact-appointment-fields-with-questions) sections. This update allows you to add '<span class="il">force</span> <span class="il">limits</span>' to control the date range that participants can enter to ensure that there are fewer erroneous entries.

[![image.png](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-04/scaled-1680-/image.png)](https://help.pickatime.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-04/image.png)

#### **<span class="rvts21">Forced Reminder Emails</span>**

- - <span class="rvts20">Admins can now send reminder emails from the Appointments List even if reminders are disabled for the event</span>
    - <span class="rvts20">These are labeled: </span><span class="rvts21">“Sent Reminder Forced”</span><span class="rvts20"> within the Contact’s log.</span>

---

## **<span class="rvts18">January 2026 Updates</span>**

1. <span class="rvts14">We have changed the name of the Email and SMS Setup page </span><span class="rvts14">to </span><span class="rvts18">Notification Setup</span><span class="rvts14">. On the Notification Setup page, we have added two additional sections. A </span><span class="rvts18">Resource Notification Email Section</span><span class="rvts14"> and a </span><span class="rvts18">Calendar Event Notification Section</span><span class="rvts14">. The Resource Notification section will allow you to have appointment notification emails sent to your resources or teachers. The Calendar Event Notification Section will allow you to customize the calendar reminders. </span>
2. <span class="rvts14">We have added an integration with </span><span class="rvts17">ClassLink</span><span class="rvts14">.</span>
3. <span class="rvts14">We have added an integration with the payment processor </span>[Stripe](https://help.pickatime.com/books/additional-event-features/page/connecting-payment-with-stripe)<span class="rvts14">.</span>
4. <span class="rvts14">Upcoming: We will be adding an integration with Veracross in the next several months. </span>

# General FAQs

### Can I pay by Credit Card over the phone?

We do not accept payments by phone. To pay by credit card, please see the instructions below:

- Select Client Login from our home page (www.pickatime.com) and log in with your email address and password. This must be an administrative email address
- You will immediately be in the Reports section of the site.
- Check the circle next to Account View.
- Then select Account from the Report pull-down.
- You will then see a list of your invoices and payments.
- Click on an invoice # to see the details of the invoice. You can pay by credit card using the Stripe checkout option

### Can I have a trial of your software to decide if I want to use it?

We do not offer trials. If you have questions or need guidance to see if our software will satisfy your needs, please contact us at <support@pickAtime.com>

### Can I have multiple Administrators? Is there an additional fee for additional Admin?

You can have as many administrators on your account as you wish. There is no additional charge for having additional admins.